In the Field of Grace by Tessa Afshar

presented in In the Field of Grace is a product of my imagination and has no basis in historical facts ….. This story can in no way replace the transformative power that the reader will encounter in the Scripture.”

Tessa Afshar shares a fictional account of the story of Ruth and Boaz and the life each had before coming together as man and wife. The tale nicely reveals the life of Ruth and her friendship with Naomi whom Ruth’s mother never truly was receiving of and her sons Chilion and Mahlon whom she marries and eventually leading to the courtship and marriage to Boaz. The story of Boaz describes his union with wife Judith who dies and communicates on her deathbed that Boaz finds happiness and joy once she is gone. After Chilion and Mahlon die from fever, Naomi and Ruth leave Moab and return to Naomi’s homeland of Bethlehem in Judah to seek food and shelter in the home she previously left on a journey with her husband and sons. The fictional story elaborates on this journey of Naomi and Ruth while travelling from Moab to Bethlehem in a pleasantly descriptive manner having the reader to believe they are on this journey as well. Once reaching their destination Boaz and Ruth form a friendship that points toward marriage and leads into the account of their great-grandson David’s explanation to his son Solomon about the importance of his ancestral writings and the relevance of kinsmanship to Ruth, a Moabite.

Ms. Afshar’s fictional account of the story of Naomi and Ruth expresses the true meaning of loving another person in the name of God verbally and through the actions Ruth performs for her mother-in-law. The character depth given Naomi while in desolation over the death of her two sons and husband shows the elegance and sophistication of a respectable and quality writer. I recommend this novel to Bible devotees who enjoy contemplating the common everyday living condition in the life of biblical figures.

I received this book free from the Net Galley Reviewer program in exchange for an unbiased opinion in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission guidelines.